OPERATION: GROW-UP (Getting Really Old Will Upset Plans)

mini-synopsis: Numbuh One faces a fate worse than death...to a KND operative, that is.

summary:

spoiler warning! this episode really should be seen, and not read, so i suggest turning back if you haven't seen it yet!

Numbuhs Two though Five are returning to the Treehouse after a candy run, and are ambushed by the DCFDTL, who trounce them pretty thoroughly, until Numbuh One shows up and turns the tide. the DCFDTL are sent packing. but they immediately run home to their Father (and that's Father with a capital "F," folks) and after he berates them, he gives them a Really Incredibly Destructive Machine to defeat the KND once and for all.

the KND are still crowing over their victory at the Treehouse as Numbuh One explains his absence--he was dealing with KND Operatives who have turned 13--the cut-off age. once an operative becomes a teenager, they are decommissioned from KND. Numbuhs Two through Five talk about how it must suck to have to leave KND (i'm paraphrasing here) and Numbuh One says not to worry, as they won't be growing up for a long time. that's when the DCFDTL return with their Really Incredibly Destructive Machine. they begin to destroy the Treehouse, and Numbuhs One through Five try to fight them off, employing some old weapons, like Hippy Hop, Numbuh Three's giant mecha bunny from TURNIP, and Numbuh Two's flight pack from THE FLY. but their efforts fail; the Treehouse is destroyed, and the DCFDTL use the age-changing cigar from CABLE-TV on Numbuh One. (i bet he regrets tossing that out the window now).

the next morning, Numbuhs Two through Five are hunting through the Treehouse's debris, looking for Numbuh One. they find him--he's been changed into an adult! Two through Five immediately ask him what they should do next, but Numbuh One, despondent over having lost his childhood, tells the others that they could get kicked out of the Kids Next Door if they were even seen with him. he leaves..to find a job! (cue violin music)

two weeks later, the Treehouse is still in shambles, and Numbuhs Two through Five are in temporary headquarters--a cardboard box. they're all rather dejected (not to mention cramped) when an ice cream truck drives by and Numbuh Four, showing some leadership skills, convinces the others to do something more than sit glumly in a box. so they chase after the truck. (gotta start small.) it's being driven by none other than Numbuh One! or rather, "Mr. Uno." at first the other KND are excited, hoping for free ice cream, but Nigel quickly squashes those thoughts. he's an adult now, and has to take his job seriously.

after this encounter, Numbuh Five is bitter and says they should leave "Mr. Uno" to be an adult, but the other KND convince her otherwise. they hatch a plan to sneak into the DCFDTL's mansion and steal the age-changing device. once inside the mansion, the KND find the DCFDTL, who are bored now that they no longer have the KND to battle. they fight over the age-changing device, (the KND and DCFDTL cycle through various ages while doing so) and the DCFDTL seem to have the edge, until Numbuh One crashes in on the scene with his ice cream truck, and demands the age-changing device. being an adult, the DCFDTL have to comply.

but that's when Father enters, and he and Numbuh One battle. over the course of the struggle, the KND discover that ice cream neutralizes Father's fireballs, and they go on a full-out assault, eventually covering him in soft-serve. Numbuh One reclaims the age-changing device and turns himself back into a kid. it's quite a relief, as he makes a rather hideous-looking adult. then he does what he should have done last time, and smashes the device.

the KND return to the Treehouse, still in pieces. they set to work repairing it, optimistic, as they're "not growing up for a long, long time." but when they do, they've got promising futures as contractors.

quotable quotes:

Numbuh One: "all right, you brats, give me that device!"
DCFDTL: "why would we give it to you?"
Numbuh One "because i'm an adult, and goody-goody little kids like you have to obey adults. so gimmie."
heh, pretty clever.

bizarro's blathering: the season 1 finale, and first half-hour episode. and it certainly doesn't disappoint! lots of drama and action, and insight into the workings of the KND organization. here is where we first hear about decommissioning at age 13 (though what part Numbuh One plays in it is left open). this episode also features the debut of Father, and what's cooler than Evil incarnate? not a lot!